


Tender

by leighwrites



Series: Bottom Richie Extravaganza [4]
Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: First Time Sex, M/M, sawft hours abound
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-28 04:07:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18748705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leighwrites/pseuds/leighwrites





	Tender

Eddie stared at the psychology textbook in his lap, unable to retain any of the information from the pages he was reading for his upcoming exam. How was he supposed to focus on his work right now when he’d just had what, to him, was a very  _ interesting  _ realization? It was the kind of thing that he hadn’t thought of before, and now that he had, everything suddenly made perfect sense.

It had started with the last get together Beverly had done for their group of friends. While she was known to throw a lot of parties filled with a lot people, she was always sure to throw small ones every couple of months that were just _them_ ; the people she classed as her family unit. It always involved copious amounts of vodka, shitty pizza that tasted like it was made of cardboard, and whatever dumb movie she, for some unknown reason, allowed Richie to choose. These smaller parties were a way for them all to catch up on each other’s lives since they were all busy with their classes, work, or even both, and with one random question, Beverly had managed to bring his realization down on him like a ton of bricks.

_ What was your first time having sex like? _

It wasn’t something you  _ really _ asked people, but it was  _ Beverly _ . She was known for asking questions that other people didn’t ask their friends, and paired with vodka it often led to intrusive sexual questions. Well, intrusive to  _ others  _ at least. They didn’t find it intrusive at all since they were such a tight unit. They all answered the question honestly to sate her curiosity and any follow ups she had, and she even told them what  _ her _ own first time was like. The only one who  _ hadn’t  _ answered was Richie. Eddie had thought that he’d be the  _ first _ to start talking about it, but he wasn’t.  _ Stan  _ was, and when everyone was done and Beverly tried to prompt Richie, he’d answered with a firm and final sounding ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ before excusing himself from the room.

This, of course, lead to Bill suggesting that maybe he hadn’t had a good first experience and didn’t like recalling it, or that maybe he just couldn’t remember which one was his first. It was  _ Richie _ , after all, and Richie had been talking about sex since they were thirteen years old to the point it went without saying when they hit seventeen that he was having sex. A lot. Stan had  _ jokingly  _ suggested that maybe sex just wasn’t something Richie did or had any interest for, and that one joking comment was all it took to send Eddie’s mind reeling.

In the one year that he’d been dating Richie, Eddie had noticed that Richie’s sexual innuendos and general sexual talk had become almost non-existent, which was  _ weird  _ since he used to enjoy talking about it so much. On top of that, Richie had never initiated  _ anything _ beyond make-out sessions, and if Eddie had tried to initiate something, Richie had some excuse for it not to go any further than the kissing stage. It was usually class or work related, and feeble claims of being tired that didn’t sound genuine at all. 

Piecing it with Richie’s reaction to Beverly’s question, Eddie had come to his realization. It wasn’t that Richie  _ didn’t _ do it, or rather, that was only  _ partly _ it. It was more like, Richie  _ hadn’t  _ done it. The only thing that Eddie  _ didn’t  _ know was if Richie had never done it and felt insecure about actually doing it so he never made a move, or if it something that just didn’t interest him. How was this something they’d  _ never  _ talked about? Why had he just assumed Richie was this sexual deviant when there was the chance he  _ wasn’t _ ?

Okay, so this was something they needed to talk about, and Eddie had to be tactful. If he handled it wrong, Richie could react badly. He needed him to know that neither one mattered. If it didn’t interest him, Eddie could handle that. Some people just didn’t want that. Ever. It wouldn’t change how he felt about Richie if that was the case. If he was insecure about doing it but wanted to, that was okay too. He could help with that. Of course, there was was also the chance that Richie would avoid talking about it altogether, as was the way Richie worked a lot of the time, and that was perfectly fine too, but he really hoped that  _ wasn’t  _ the case.

Almost as if some higher force was trying to give him a nudge, Eddie’s phone vibrated on the table, lighting up and displaying Richie’s name to him. Closing the textbook since there was  _ no  _ way he’d get work done with Richie texting him, Eddie reached for the phone and tapped in his passcode quickly, bringing up Richie’s text.

**Richie [20:45]: do you have any idea how hard it is to study for finals when literally ALL i can hear is mike and staniel going at it like rabbits???**

**every damn time he comes to visit**

**every**

**damn**

**time**

**THE HEADBOARD CRASHED INTO MY WALL EDS**

**MY WALL!!!**

**RIGHT NEAR ME**

Eddie stared at the spam of messages, exhaling softly. He knew the upcoming final was only important to Richie because it was his ticket to stay in Seattle for college. It was the agreement with his parents. Richie had wanted to study music. It was his  _ passion _ , but there was no way in hell Wentworth would pay for  _ just  _ that, for a course that he felt wouldn’t get him a career. Very few people who wanted to become famous actually did, and so for Richie to study music, he’d bent to his father’s suggested course ‘to fall back on.’

Dentistry.

And Richie hated it with about as much passion as he loved music.

**Eddie [20:50]: How long is Mike visiting for?**

**Richie [20:52]: TWO WEEKS**

**TWO**

**Eddie [21:00]: You can stay here. You’ll be able to get your work done and give them privacy.**

**Richie [21:10]: you’re a lifesaver eds**

**i’ll be there in thirty!**

Eddie locked his phone, setting it onto the table. It was times like this that he was glad he lived alone. There was no roommate to complain about Richie coming over at ungodly hours, which he sometimes did, or about how  _ long  _ Richie stayed for. There had been far too many times in which Richie had annoyed Stan to the point he’d been tossed out with a backpack and told to stay away ‘until further notice’. It had eventually lead to Richie storing things in Eddie’s apartment, and then to them dating a year ago. 

All because Stan had tossed Richie out in the winter and Eddie’s heating was broken. He couldn’t just leave Richie in the living room with two thin blankets on the sofa bed, so against his then to believed better judgement, Eddie had suggested they share his bed because he could easily fit two people in it and they were  _ adults _ . It had ended up with a cold Eddie seeking out what little warmth he could from Richie, and he wasn’t sure even  _ now _ how the kiss had happened. It just had. It was like they’d just sought each other out until they were kissing; slow and careful like they were gauging the other’s reaction. They’d become almost inseparable since.

“Stan said to thank you.” Eddie jerked back into reality as Richie flopped onto the sofa next to him, dropping a backpack at his feet and tossing his keys onto Eddie’s textbook. “For making me leave so they can have sex in peace. Actually his exact words were  _ thank god _ but close enough, right?”

Eddie couldn’t help but laugh, leaning into Richie’s side. “I’ll be sure to tell him he’s welcome next time I see him.” His eye flit briefly down to the backpack at Richie’s feet. “You brought  _ more  _ stuff here? At this rate you’ll have moved all your stuff in.”

Richie tilted his head back against the sofa with a laugh, curling an arm around Eddie’s shoulders. “It’s my  _ books _ , Eds. How do you expect me to study for my finals without them? I know I have a damn good memory but it’s not  _ that  _ good.”

Eddie didn’t bring up the talk he wanted to have with Richie that night, or the rest of the week. Between studying for finals and actually taking them they’d become too busy to have any serious kinds of conversations. Eddie spent the entirety of Richie’s first week there trying to keep him from burning out his brain and getting frustrated with the work. By the time Eddie had thought to bring it up they were too tired, dropping into bed and falling to sleep almost instantly.

“I don’t know how my dad does it.” Richie said as he stepped into the apartment, kicking his shoes off at the door as per Eddie’s ‘no shoes allowed beyond the hallway’ rule. “The human mouth is  _ gross _ to look into. Why would you  _ want  _ to stick your fingers in there and look at it  _ that  _ closely?”

“I take it you  _ didn’t  _ enjoy your practical final?” Eddie asked, turning his attention away from the television as Richie stepped into the living room, dressed in the god awful dentistry course uniform.

“No. No I did not. They had me stick a mirror and my fingers in someone’s mouth and then  _ clean  _ it. I had to  _ clean  _ a mouth Eds! It was  _ disgusting _ ! Can you sue a parent? Because I really want to sue my dad for making me take this course.”

“I don’t think you can sue a parent but I’m not a lawyer. Ask Mike, he’ll know.”

“I can’t, he’s too busy bashing Stan’s head into a fucking headboard.”

“Okay, fair. I meant in general, not  _ now _ .” Eddie turned his attention back to the television as Richie dropped onto the sofa, his head resting in Eddie’s lap. Eddie automatically brought a hand up to the dark curls, stroking through them carefully. “At least finals are over. Whole summer of freedom now.”

“About fucking time. Now all I have to stress about is how badly I did.” Richie sighed, letting his eyes fall shut as he relaxed under the gentle touch. “I’m still suing him.”

Eddie tilted his head down to look at Richie with a smile. “Sure thing Richie.”

Richie opened a single eye, a grin spreading on his face. “I knew I could count on you for support, Eds.”

“You know you can always count on me, Rich.” Eddie’s smile had turned almost fond, and Richie’s other eye slowly opened, meeting Eddie’s stare. “You  _ do  _ know that right?”

Richie’s grin faltered, fading into a smile. “Yeah, I know.”

Eddie leaned further down, his mouth meeting Richie’s in a series of short kisses that slowly turned into longer ones, his fingers threading into Richie’s hair; almost holding him in place. Kissing Richie was something he could get lost in, and he often did, because every brush of the lips was like it was carefully calculated to keep drawing him in.

Right until Richie’s hand pushed against his shoulder when Eddie’s hand gripped at his waist, fingers dipping into the hem of his shirt. “Hold on a second, wait.”

Eddie almost groaned, slowly pulling away from him and removing his hand. “Too tired?”

“No, that’s not it. Just, give me a second, okay?”

The way Richie had spoken sounded almost distressed, enough than any frustrations Eddie had to Richie constantly running away and then acting like he hadn’t ebbed away, his eyes scanning over Richie’s face. “It’s okay if this isn’t something you want to do or if it doesn’t interest you, Rich. That’s  _ okay _ ,” he brushed his hand against Richie’s cheek, thumb stroking just under his glasses. “But you need to clue me in a little here so I know what’s going on.”

“Okay um… wow this is harder than it should be.” Richie was still staring up at him, and for once, he wasn’t leaving with some excuse, exhaling slowly to calm himself. “It’s not that I don’t  _ want  _ to okay? Trust me, I absolutely want to. I have a stupid amount of cold showers because of you but I’ve just… I’ve  _ never  _ done it okay? It’s uncharted territory. I don’t… know  _ how _ to do this.”

Eddie moved his free hand to Richie’s head, soothing it against the curls. “Hey, it’s  _ okay _ . Look at you opening up a little. I used to have to completely snap before you did that.”

Richie was grinning again, raising a hand to playfully nudge his fist against Eddie’s cheek. “It’s called  _ growth _ Eds. I… I  _ want  _ to be able to talk to you about things. That’s why I decided to finally come clean about this.”

The soft smile was back on Eddie’s face and he leaned down again, pecking softly at Richie’s nose. “Okay so you’ve seriously never - you’ve dated a lot of people. How did you never -”

Richie shrugged. “I was just never ready for that. Any time it got sexual I just… ran. I’d come up with dumb excuses and they’d flip their shit which started an argument and then we’d break up. But you didn’t.”

“I honestly for the first couple of months thought you were genuinely tired. You had a heavy workload. You could have just told me this - that you weren’t ready.”

“I know, I always knew that but I just defaulted to what I do best. I ran and avoided it. I wanted to say it so many times but you know me. My brain and mouth never work in sync.”

“I  _ had  _ noticed.” Eddie continued to soothe his thumb against Richie’s face, dipping down to his cheekbone. “Okay, so now I know what’s going on, how about this? I’ll stop initiating. When you’re ready, you can initiate and we’ll figure it out from there.”

“That’s the thing. I uh… I  _ am  _ ready. I wanna do things like that but… I just keep thinking I’m gonna fuck it up somehow.”

“Hey, you’re not gonna fuck this up.” Eddie assured him, shifting the hand in Richie’s hair down to curl against the side of his neck, thumb brushing up against his jaw. He could practically  _ see  _ the tension seeping out of Richie under the relaxing motions. “We’re gonna figure this out, okay?” When Richie nodded, Eddie smiled, brushing a single finger just behind Richie’s ear. Keeping him calm and relaxed was the key to this talk. “Okay have you um… done  _ anything  _ above kissing with another person? Like, the smaller stuff?”

“No. I mean I almost did once and then I backed out.”

“Okay, so we’ll start there.”

“What like  _ now _ ?”

“Not if you don’t want to.”

Richie didn’t respond for a moment, staring up at him almost warily. It was like he was trying to gauge how genuine Eddie was being. No, that wasn’t it. Eddie couldn’t believe he’d mistaken the look on Richie’s face for wary. It was  _ thoughtful _ . Richie was thinking this over. Eddie went back to soothing him, keeping Richie relaxed in his lap. Richie finally nodded, his hand gripping lightly at the front of his shirt where it rested against his stomach. “I want to. I trust you.”

“Okay um, I need you to sit up a moment.” Eddie slowly removed his hands from Richie’s face, allowing him to sit up. He swung a leg onto the sofa, twisting to sit with his back resting against the arm, reaching forward and curling his arms around Richie to pull him back until Richie’s back pressed against his chest and his chin resting on Richie’s shoulder. 

Eddie didn’t move for a while, just holding Richie against him with his fingers trailing idly against his sides. Eddie was slow and careful, testing the waters as his hands brushed across the stomach of Richie’s shirt and up into the hem, meeting the smooth skin underneath and feeling the way Richie’s stomach moved as he took a sharp breath; his body tensing.

“Relax.” Eddie kept his voice low, sliding a hand up Richie’s stomach, tilting his head to brush his nose against the shell of Richie’s ear. “You can tell me to stop at  _ any  _ time.” His other hand dipped down, but it didn’t slide into the pants of the uniform like Richie had expected, staying on top of them as his hand settled onto Richie’s crotch. “Look at me.”

Richie tilted his head in Eddie’s direction, being met with a soft kiss as Eddie pushed his hand down against Richie’s crotch, palming the area slowly and drawing a sharp gasp from Richie whose hand gripped at his thigh.

“Shit, too much?” Eddie asked, slowly pulling his hand away as he broke from the gasp. “I can stop.”

“No! I mean, it’s not - it’s just different when it’s someone else doing it. I’m okay.”

“You’re sure?”

Richie nodded, and Eddie withdrew his hand from the shirt to cradle Richie’s jaw, pushing his head back towards the back of the sofa and meeting him in another kiss. It started off slow and careful, lips barely brushing before Eddie was sliding his tongue into Richie’s mouth, pushing his hand back down against Richie’s crotch and palming at him again. This time Eddie was rewarded with a soft moan, almost bordering on a whimper, spurring Eddie on to push down just a little harder and curl his hand around the already half formed erection. Eddie dragged his hand up slowly, dipping his fingers under the waistband of the dental scrubs.

“Is this still okay?” Eddie asked, hooking his thumb over the waistband.

“Y-yeah, its okay.”

Eddie dipped his hand fully in Richie’s pants and boxers, met with a sharp hiss the moment his hand curled around around Richie’s dick. “Sorry, too much I know -”

Richie clamped a hand down over Eddie’s, pressing his hand against him as he switched to his previous position with his head tilted back against Eddie’s shoulder. “S-stop doing that. If it’s too much I’ll tell you, I promise. Just, give me a minute.”

Eddie tilted his head down to Richie’s neck, pressing a firm kiss to the area, his hand tensing when Richie’s dick twitched against his palm. “Neck guy huh?”

“Shut u-” Richie’s protest died into a moan as Eddie bit down on the area, reaching with his free hand to the buttons that ran along his collarbone near the top of the shirt, prying them open slowly. “What are yo -  _ ah _ .” Eddie’s bites trailed down as he pushed the collar of the shirt open enough to expose the juncture of Richie’s neck for his mouth.

A particularly rough bite to his neck had Richie’s hips jerk with a whimper, grinding his dick against the palm of Eddie’s hand. Eddie curled his hand tighter around Richie, slowly dragging up the length of Richie’s now fully hardened dick. “This is annoyingly difficult. Do you mind if I uh -”

Richie shook his head, the hand on Eddie’s thigh gripping enough that Eddie could feel Richie’s nails digging in through the denim fabric of his jeans. Eddie managed to pull the front of the scrub pants and boxers down, using one hand to keep them curled and pinned out of the way, giving him more room to work with as he curled his hand back around Richie; moving it in a firm pump that had Richie’s back arc and his head press against Eddie’s shoulder with a louder moan.

Eddie’s bites reverted back to soft kisses which he trailed up to Richie’s jaw. “How’s it feel?”

Richie  _ literally  _ bit back a moan, teeth sinking into his lip and the sound vibrating through his throat as he tried to swallow the noise. “G-good… real good...”

Eddie’s hand tightened around Richie’s dick, thumb stroking against the head slowly as he rubbed a finger just under the head that drew another loud moan from Richie. Eddie knew he wouldn’t last long. Having someone else touch you was intensely different to touching yourself, and Eddie could tell with each twitch that Richie was getting closer. The moment Richie let out a pant of his name, Eddie closed his hand around the head, using his thumb to rub at the area just under it until he was able to tip Richie over the edge into his orgasm, pressing his other arm against Richie’s body as it curled slightly to keep Richie pinned to him, kissing a soft trail against his neck and shoulder.

The only movement that came from Richie was the shift of his chest as he panted heavily while Eddie’s thumb soothed just under the base of his throat, feeling the heavy thump of Richie’s heart against his ribs. “Doing okay there?”

Richie finally moved, his grip loosening on Eddie’s thighs. “Yeah… fine… that was just… incredibly different.”

Eddie let out a soft chuckle, pressing a firm kiss to the juncture of his neck, sliding his hand down the expanse of Richie’s torso to tuck him back into his pants. “I’ll be right back okay?”

Eddie carefully slid out from behind Richie, careful not to touch anything unless it was with his dry hand, giving Richie another firm kiss, this one to the top of his head before heading into the kitchen.

Over the next few months, Richie became more comfortable with the sexual side of their relationship to the point where Eddie having him pinned to the sofa during a heavy makeout session settled between his legs didn’t have him scrambling away with some half-assed excuse, even when a hand slipped into his shirt or a thumb dipped under his waistband or the kisses turned into soft bites down his neck that sent a spark of electricity down his spine and his hips bucking. There were times when Richie had become bolder too, dipping a hand into Eddie’s boxers in the morning and slowly stroking him into an orgasm.

Eddie thumbed lazily through his psyche book, making notes here and there he needed for his essay. They’d been back in classes for all of a month and the workload was already intense, and if that wasn’t bad enough, Richie was out of town for an entire week at some mandatory dental workshop. He hated  _ that  _ more than he did the classes, but it  _ had  _ opened up another sexual aspect of their relationship. Fortunately the college had sprung out for a room per student, so when Richie had complained about missing him and being frustrated over being turned on and his hand  _ just not feeling the same _ , it was  _ easy  _ to open up the phone sex aspect with Eddie telling Richie exactly how to pleasure himself that way Eddie did.

And Eddie could never get the breathy whine of ‘Eds’ out of his head no matter what he did.

Eddie picked up his phone at the sound of the familiar buzzing that signaled a text, opening it up. Richie didn’t text much anymore. It was always a phone call, but the the three words on the text brought a smile to his face.

**Richie [20:37]: finally. fucking. home.**

Eddie tapped out a quick reply, setting his phone back down onto the sofa. He hated that Richie’s flight back was so late. He wouldn’t be able to see him until the following day if the time difference between Seattle and Washington D.C didn’t destroy his body clock, and knowing Richie, he’d  _ just  _ walked into his apartment and collapsed on his bed so he’d be out for the rest of the night. Richie couldn’t sleep on planes the way Eddie could. There was another buzz from his phone and Eddie quickly unlocked his phone to see Richie’s reply.

**Richie [20:45]: okay this was supposed to be some amazing surprise where i just walk into the apartment but my keys are buried in my bag and i can’t get to them so i need you to let me in.**

Eddie scrambled to his feet, knocking his psyche book onto the floor in the process, and rushed for the door, unlocking it quickly and opening it to see Richie on the other side, duffle bag hanging from his shoulder. Richie didn’t wait for Eddie to actually register he was there, rushing forward and wrapping his arms around him, fingers sinking into the back of Eddie’s shirt.

“I missed you.” Richie breathed, tightening his arms around Eddie.

Eddie grinned up at him, stepping back as he curled his arms around Richie and pulled him into the apartment, lifting a leg to kick the apartment door shut. “I missed you too. How was it?”

“Hell, but I’m back now. Wanted to see you before I saw anyone else.” Richie dipped his head down to attach his mouth to Eddie’s in a brief kiss. 

As Richie pulled back, Eddie raised his hands, brushing his thumbs against his cheeks. “You look tired.”

Richie grinned, slowly brushing his hands up into Eddie’s shirt. “Never too tired to spend time with you. Besides,” he dipped his head back down, pressing an array of soft pecks to Eddie’s mouth, “I  _ really  _ missed you this week.”

Eddie’s fingers dipped into Richie’s curls. “ _ Oh? _ ”

Richie hummed, trailing his kisses down to Eddie’s jaw. “Wanna show you how much.”

Eddie tilted his head slightly to one side, giving Richie access to the area of his neck he craved. “Yeah? How’d you wanna do that?”

One of Richie’s arms unwound from Eddie and there was a thump as his duffle bag hit the floor, taking Eddie’s hand in his own. “Let me show you.”

Richie kicked his shoes off quickly, taking Eddie’s hand, pulling him to the bedroom and over to the bed, guiding him to sit down before pushing him to lie on his back. Richie leaned over him, connecting their mouths in a slow kiss, one hand gripping at Eddie’s hip while the other pressed into the sheet next to his head. Eddie returned the kiss just as enthusiastically as Richie gave it, sliding his hands into Richie’s shirt and scraping his nails softly against Richie’s lower back, drawing a soft moan from Richie. 

Richie deepened the kiss, nudging Eddie’s legs open with a knee and standing between them, bringing his body even closer to Eddie’s while Eddie raised a leg to curl it around Richie’s waist, drawing him closer and rolling his hips up. Even through his jeans and Eddie’s sweats Richie could feel that Eddie was mostly hard already, sliding his hand across from Eddie’s hip to settle it against his crotch; slowly palming the area. Eddie broke the kiss, his head tilting back against the sheets as he let out a deep moan that Richie could practically  _ hear  _ vibrating against his throat. 

He kept up the ministrations, palming firmly and feeling the way Eddie’s dick hardened under the touch and twitched. “Eds?” Eddie hummed to show he was listening, the sound almost lost as it mixed into the soft pants that fell from his mouth. “Iwantyoutofuckme.”

Eddie snapped out of his daze, brow furrowing as he planted his elbows to the bed and pushed himself up. “You wanna try that again with a verbal spacebar Rich?”

Richie took in a breath, pressing his hand against Eddie’s stomach, fingers curling slightly. “I want you… to fuck me.”

Eddie pressed his hands into the sheets, slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position and forcing Richie to stand upright. “Richie are you  _ sure _ about this?”

Richie swallowed, his head moving in a slow nod. “Yeah, I’m sure. I’ve had like three or four months to think about this.”

Eddie hooked a finger into one of Richie’s belt loops, slowly standing and sliding a hand to settle against the side of his neck, fingers curling around the back and toying with his curls. “Okay,” Eddie brushed his nose against Richie’s, bringing his mouth closer, “Slowly though okay? I want to make this as comfortable for you as I can and take care of you every step.”

Eddie’s mouth finally met Richie’s, his grip tightening against Richie’s neck, feeling the way the muscles moved whenever Richie’s mouth did. Richie shifted his hand from Eddie’s stomach to his waist, pressing his fingers against the flesh as he slowly pried his mouth away from Eddie’s. 

“I trust you Eds.”

“I’ve got you.” Eddie assured, lowering his hand from Richie’s neck to front of his jeans. “Gotta get rid of these first though. It’ll make easier later. Can I?”

Richie nodded and Eddie snagged the zip between his finger and thumb, slowly tugging it down while his other hand worked the button. Richie’s fingers twitched against his waist and Eddie drew a hand back to curl it around Richie’s wrist, slowly pushing it towards his back and dipping Richie’s hands into his sweats. There were times Richie still wasn’t sure what to do or what Eddie was okay with, but Eddie was always there to guide him. Richie’s fingers pressed into the material of Eddie’s boxers while Eddie’s hand trailed back up his arm, breaking away to rejoin the other on Richie’s jeans, tugging them down enough until they fell down on their own, Richie stepping out of them and nudging them to one side.

Eddie had seen Richie in this state of dress before, but this was different. This wasn’t just Richie tiredly shucking off pants and collapsing into bed because he was tired. This was more intimate. “Okay, now I need you to lie down… on your back. Try and relax as much as you can. I’ll be  _ right  _ back.”

Leaving Richie to get comfortable and relaxed, Eddie left the room and ducked into the bathroom, opening the cabinet under the sink unit to grab the bottle of lube they’d need and a condom before returning to the bedroom. Richie was lying in the middle of the bed, one arm straight at his side and the other draped over his stomach. He looked relaxed, and Eddie exhaled in relief, closing the door behind him. This wouldn’t work if he was tense. Eddie placed the items he’d retrieved onto the nightstand, climbing onto the bed throwing a leg over Richie’s waist, planting his knees into the bed either side of him.

“Hey. You look nice and relaxed.”

Richie grinned up at him, almost nervously. “I’m always relaxed when you’re around, Eds.”

Even though this was Richie’s usual way of talking to someone, there was something in his tone that seemed more personal and just for Eddie, bringing a soft smile to his face as he leaned forward, pressing his arms into the bed and connecting his mouth with Richie’s. It started out soft and slow, with Eddie’s hand sliding into Richie’s shirt and tracing up his stomach and chest. Richie reached up, tangling one hand into Eddie’s soft blonde hair and sliding one into the back of Eddie’s shirt. 

Breaking away from Richie, Eddie made a path of kisses down his jaw and neck, pausing to bite at the juncture and was rewarded with Richie’s hips bucking up against him. Eddie pushed his knees into the bed, lifting his lower half and shifting it back, and before Richie could question if what he’d done was wrong, Eddie rolled his hips down and ground his clothed erection against Richie’s as he applied pressure onto his neck; sucking on the flesh to leave a mark. It had been a while since Eddie had heard Richie let out the moan that was  _ almost  _ a whimper, his hand curling against Richie’s chest and scraping his nails harshly against the flesh.

Eddie continued to roll his hips against Richie’s, drinking in the stream of moans that fell from his mouth and trailing his own mouth further down until he reached the collar of Richie’s shirt, huffing in frustration. Sitting up, Eddie pushed his other hand into the shirt, sliding it up to rest under Richie’s ribcage as he eyes zeroed in on the small triangle of black that poked out from the waistband of his boxers just by his hip. He hooked a finger into the waistband, tugging it down slightly to expose the star shaped tattoo burned into his flesh just above his hip bone, rubbing a thumb over it. It made him suddenly aware of his own, burned into his inner bicep, the result of Beverly’s ‘hey let’s get a group tattoo’ moment. 

Eddie leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the tattoo before trailing his lips upwards, eliciting small gasps from Richie the higher he went, stopping only when he reached the bunched up material of Richie’s shirt. Hands slowly slid Richie’s side, thumbs dipping under the shirt to push it higher for removal, Richie’s elbow nudging at his arm and bringing him to a stop.

“What’s wrong?” Eddie asked, lifting his head to meet Richie’s gaze. “You wanna stop?”

“No just - you first.”

“Wh -  _ oh _ .” Eddie smiled, sitting up straight on Richie’s thighs, eyes raking over Richie’s exposed stomach and hips and stopping at the folded over waistband of his boxers. “I guess I  _ am  _ a little overdressed compared to you.”

Eddie reached for the hem of his shirt, slowly pulling up and exposing the tanned skin underneath. Richie had seen Eddie shirtless  _ numerous  _ times, but he would never get over how much darker Eddie’s skin was compared to his own, or even how  _ toned  _ he was. Years of running track had  _ definitely  _ been good to him. Eddie stared down at him, dropping his shirt over the side of the bed. 

“Hold on a second. Don’t move.” Eddie climbed from the bed, dipping his fingers into the waistband of his sweats to push them down, kicking them off and to the side. Climbing back onto the bed, Eddie reached for Richie’s shirt again, using it to pull him into a sitting position so he could pull the shirt over Richie’s head, tossing it onto the floor with his own.

Eddie was careful as he nudged Richie to lie on his back again, sliding his hands down the newly exposed torso, leaning down to nip at his collarbone. He could feel the vibration in Richie’s chest of the moan that built up, rolling from his mouth into the air. Eddie’s hands settled on Richie’s waist, his body sliding downwards as he pressed kisses down his chest towards his stomach.

“I love you, you know that right?” Eddie’s voice vibrated against Richie’s stomach, and Richie inhaled sharply at the feeling. “Nothing about tonight’s gonna change that.”

“I know Eds. I - ah - love you too.”

Snagging the waistband of Richie’s boxers, Eddie pulled them down a small fraction. “Gonna take these off now, okay?”

“Y-yeah. Okay.”

“It’s okay.” Eddie pressed a kiss to Richie’s exposed hip bone. “It’s just like the night I used my mouth on you.” He felt Richie relax and tugged the boxers further down until he could pull them off completely, tossing them aside to join the rest of the clothing pile. “Look at you.” He ran a hand up one of Richie’s legs, using his knee to nudge them open so he could settle between them. “So beautiful. Do you remember how the prep works?”

“Yeah, you -  _ ah _ -” Eddie’s hand had reached Richie’s dick, slowly wrapping around it, “have to open me up -” he broke off into another moan as Eddie stroked his hand up slowly, “with your fingers.”

“Atta boy.” Eddie praised, reaching with his other hand for the bottle of lube. “I’ll do this slowly okay? If you need me to stop just say so and I will.”

Richie nodded to show that he understood and Eddie carefully parted his legs just a little further, popping the cap off the lube and pouring some into his hand. He spread it across his fingers slowly before dipping the hand between them, circling a finger against the ring of muscle, checking for any signs of discomfort as he slowly pressed the tip of his finger in. Richie hissed sharply, gripping at the sheet under him as Edie’s finger sank further in.

“Relax.” Eddie soothed, leaning over him to press an array of soft kisses to his neck. “Breathe.” Richie did as instructed and Eddie carefully worked the finger inside of him. Richie’s fingers relaxed and released the sheets, his head tilting back on the pillow and exposing his throat to Eddie’s kisses which trailed upwards towards his chin. “Next one.”

Eddie carefully pushed the next finger in, Richie’s hand grabbing at his wrist, nails biting at his skin. “F-fuck.”

“You’re doing so good Rich’.” Eddie assured, nipping at his jaw as he slowly started to scissor his fingers inside Richie. “One more.” 

Eddie added a third and final finger, keeping them still so Richie could adjust to them when he felt him tense up at the intrusion. He continued to press kisses along Richie’s neck, shoulder and throat, adding nips and small bites as he did, Richie relaxing under him the longer Eddie’s fingers remained inside of him. Eddie spread them out slowly as a test, teeth sinking lightly into Richie’s shoulder at the following moan before he moved them in slow shallow thrusts. The tip of Eddie’s middle finger pushed against Richie’s prostate, drawing a sharp loud cry from him, his leg twitching against Eddie’s arm. Eddie aimed for the spot again, pressing his fingers up against it and slowly spreading them out. Richie tossed his head back with a moan and Eddie attached his mouth to his throat, trailing light nibbles down to the base where he flicked his tongue out, dragging the tip slowly back up to his chin, Richie’s hips shifting back to push against Eddie’s hand.

Eddie slowly withdrew his fingers from Richie, settling his hand on his hip and trailing his mouth to Richie’s for a firm slow kiss. “Still want to continue? I can stop if its too much right now or you’re overwhelmed.”

“Y-yeah.” Richie’s words were mixed into a pant, his fingers flexing against Eddie’s arm. “I-it’s not too much.”

Eddie pulled himself away from Richie long enough to remove his boxers before he was climbing back into the space between Richie’s legs, soothing a hand against his knee, dipping his thumb into the bend and reaching for the foil packet which he held between his teeth to tear open carefully. He drew his hand back from Richie to roll the condom on, grabbing the lube again and pouring some into his hand. Using one hand to lube himself up, Eddie soothed the other against Richie’s hip, feeling the tense of his muscles and meeting his nervous and somewhat anxious gaze.

“Hey, it’s okay. Relax.” Eddie soothed, leaning over him and delivering a series of soft pecks to his lips. “Eyes on me, okay? Keep yourself grounded.”

Richie had difficulty relaxing when he knew what was coming, so Eddie carefully cupped a hand around his neck, drawing him in for a slow deep kiss. The kiss seemed to do the trick, keeping Richie’s attention focused somewhere else, relaxing him almost instantly. Eddie was sure to keep the kiss going as he reached between them, wrapping a hand around himself and lining himself up with Richie, brushing the end of his thumb against Richie’s thigh as he slowly pushed the tip through the ring of muscle. Richie hissed at the burn from the stretch, his teeth sinking into Eddie’s lip and forcing them to break the kiss.

“Shit - sorry -”

Eddie stroked his thumb against Richie’s neck, sinking in a little further. “It’s okay. You’re doing great.”

The further Eddie sank into him, the more Richie felt a wholeness settling in, and he finally understood what Stan had meant. It was kind of scary, and though he’d never felt more vulnerable in his life, he also felt safe, because this was  _ Eddie _ , and Eddie had always made him feel safe and cared for. He couldn’t imagine ever giving this moment to another person. Eddie’s kiss turned into short lingering ones, using one arm to keep himself up, bringing his hand to Richie’s face to curl around the arm of his already fogging glasses. He debated removing them for a while, but he wanted Richie to see him and not go into this blindly. Moving his hand to the corner of the blanket, he tucked his fingers into it and brought it to the glasses to wipe away the fog.

Eddie slowly pushed himself the rest of the way in, stilling once he was buried completely inside Richie, swiping his thumb just under the frame of Richie’s glasses, brushing his nose against Richie’s as he hovered on the edge of a kiss. “How you feeling there, Rich? Still okay?”

Richie inhaled shakily, fingers flexing against the bedsheets. “I - it’s a lot but I’m okay.”

Eddie smiled, pressing a firm kiss to Richie’s mouth, soothing his thumb against his cheek bone, dipping it under the frame of his glasses to stroke just under his eye. “I’m not gonna move okay? We’re just gonna stay like this for a while. Here,” he moved his hand from Richie’s face, trailing it down his arm until he could curl it around his wrist, slowly bringing Richie’s hand to rest on the back of his neck, “To keep you grounded.”

Richie nodded, not fully trusting his voice not to come out as a shaky pitiful attempt to talk, sinking his fingers into the base of Eddie’s hair. Eddie pressed soft kisses to any part of Richie’s face he could reach, soothing Richie with soft caresses against his side. Richie’s breath came out in soft uneven shaky pants, his fingers flexing against Eddie’s neck. Eddie shifted his weight, moving in a slow experimental thrust, and even through the sharp sting Richie could feel the pleasure, a quiet whimper falling from his mouth. The noise stirred something Eddie, something  _ pleased _ , and he shifted his hips into another slow thrust to draw out another, attaching his mouth to the juncture of Richie’s neck, kissing and biting at the area.

Eddie kept his movements slow and careful, wanting to make sure that Richie felt as good as possible; trailing his kisses down to Richie’s collar bone where he sank his teeth against the flesh. “You sound good, Rich.” Eddie trailed his mouth back up to Richie’s neck, tensing briefly when Richie whined at the praise. “So fucking good...”

Richie clutched at Eddie’s hair as his pace quickened slightly, his free hand gripping at the bend of Eddie’s elbow. The faster speed drew louder moans Richie, his body shaking and his toes curling against the sheets. “Eh-Eds… feels - ah -good.”

Eddie felt the pride set in; both at the praise and how open Richie was being with him. He angled his hips, brushing up against Richie’s prostate as he nibbled up to his ear, smiling at the sharp cry of pleasure that rolled from Richie’s throat. “Found it.”

“A-ah - Eds I -”

Eddie hummed, already trailing a hand between them and slowly wrapping it around the base of Richie’s dick, moving it in a slow stroke. “I know. I’ve got you.”

Richie’s hand slid from the bend of Eddie’s elbow, groping blindly at his arm as it searched for something, and when Eddie figured out  _ what _ , he shifted his hand from Richie’s dick to his hip long enough to keep himself steady to give Richie the hand he was seeking, threading their fingers together and holding the hand near Richie’s head so he could use the arm to support himself up again. The hand on Richie’s hip curled back around him, the speed of his strokes picking up to give Richie the release his body was desperately craving. 

Richie’s fingers flexed, his grip tightening on Eddie’s hand as his moans became louder, his body succumbing the pleasure as it moved on its own, jerking up into Eddie’s hand. Eddie quickened his pace, his own moans rising in volume, pushing Richie into the orgasmic bliss he craved. Eddie worked him through the orgasm, careful not to get anything on his hand, never once faltering until he hit his own, burying himself into Richie and stilling. Unwrapping his hand from Richie’s dick, Eddie used it to cradle Richie’s jaw instead, sinking his fingertips into the sweaty curls and seeking out his mouth for a long slow kiss, swallowing the heavy pants into his mouth. They stayed like that for a while, Eddie’s thumbs soothing Richie’s wrist and jaw, the kiss turning into a series of short pecks.

Eddie eventually pulled out of Richie once they’d come down from the blissful high with a firm kiss and an assurance that he’d be right back, leaving to throw away the condom and retrieve some wipes to wipe Richie down with, pressing soft kisses to his collarbone as he worked. Eddie tossed the used wipes away, carefully removing Richie’s glasses and setting them onto the nightstand. Eddie knew from the very few experiences he had with bottoming that Richie would have trouble moving, especially after his first time, carefully helping him to get into bed and climbing in next to him. Richie shifted, hissing slightly as he rolled onto his side, curling an arm around Eddie’s waist and pressing his head to his chest.

Eddie wrapped his arms around Richie, stroking one hand through his curls and massaging the other against his lower back. “How you doing there?”

Richie curled his arm tighter around Eddie, exhaling softly. “Hurts a little but I’m okay.”

Eddie tilted his head slightly, pressing a kiss to the top of Richie’s head, burying his nose into the curls. “The pain’ll go away.” He tightened his arms around Richie, trailing his hand up from his lower back, following the path of Richie’s spine. Richie was teetering on the edge of sleep when Eddie spoke again, his voice soft in the quiet room, brushing some of the curls back behind his ear. “I can’t believe you were fucking right when you said you’d make me fall in love with you.”

Richie laughed tiredly, curling more into Eddie’s side. “I love you too you stubborn little spitfire.”

Over the next two months, Eddie noticed little things he hadn’t before. He hated it whenever he came home and the apartment was empty, and he hated sleeping in his bed when there was no Richie, often opting to just pass out on the sofa. He knew it was his own fault. After the years of living with Sonia, Eddie had just wanted to live alone with no pressure from roommate or any other person. Richie had always respected that. Sure, he’d made jokes about how he was practically living there since over half of his stuff was at the apartment, but that was as far as it ever went.

And now Eddie thought about it, he wondered if Richie bringing the rest of his stuff to the apartment would be such a bad thing. 

He didn’t  _ really  _ hit a decision until he’d come back one Friday after class to find Richie stretched along the length of the sofa, laptop perched on his legs and a look of concentration on his face as he worked on one of his assignments. It wasn’t unusual for Richie to already be there on a Friday since Eddie’s class always ran late, but it only now hit him how  _ right  _ this felt to come home to him already there. Why didn’t he just -

“- stay here.” Eddie blurted out, slapping his hands over his mouth the second he realized what he’d done.

Richie looked up from his laptop screen, brow furrowing in confusion. “Erm, come again?”

Eddie slowly lowered the hands from his mouth, inhaling to calm himself. “You should stay here.”

“Pretty sure that’s why I show up  _ every  _ Friday, Eds.”

“No like...” Eddie shuffled almost nervously on the spot. “For good.”

“Are -” Richie paused, eyeing Eddie carefully as he slowly closed the lid of his laptop and set it on the table. “Eds are you asking me to move in?”

“I… um… yes? I mean… you don’t  _ have  _ to if you don’t want to. I know you like living with Stan but I figured like… over half your stuff is here, and you’re here more than at home… so it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if you just… brought the rest of your stuff here and just… stayed.”

“You’re right… I do like living with Stan but...” Richie reached out for Eddie, curling his hand around Eddie’s wrist and pulling him into his lap. “I like staying here with you more. I just didn’t think you’d want  _ that _ yet.”

Eddie straddled Richie’s lap, resting his hands on his shoulders. “I didn’t either but… it just feels right coming home… to you. I hate it when you’re not here.”

Richie’s hands settled on Eddie’s waist, thumbs brushing up into the hem of his shirt. “I hate leaving.”

“So you want to?”

“Yeah. I want to.”

Eddie grinned, leaning in and connecting his mouth with Richie’s in a series of firm kisses. “Guess I should let Stan know I’m kidnapping you for good.”

Richie’s fingers dug in Eddie’s waist, chasing him to connect their mouths back together. “Later.” He mumbled, pushing Eddie back slightly. “Some little spitfire kept sending me inappropriate texts today during class and I kinda wanna try what he had in mind. Don’t leave a guy hanging, Eds.”

The response was immediate, Eddie’s eyes darkening. “Fuck. Yeah. Okay. Good celebratory sex.” Eddie stumbled to his feet, grabbing Richie’s hand and tugging him towards the bedroom, Richie yelping as Eddie slammed him up against the door with a bang.


End file.
